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The differences between customer relations associates and customer service associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a customer relations associate and a customer service associate. Additionally, a customer relations associate has an average salary of $35,656, which is higher than the $31,709 average annual salary of a customer service associate.
The top three skills for a customer relations associate include customer relations, processing orders and problem resolution. The most important skills for a customer service associate are patients, sales floor, and plumbing.
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Service Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $35,656 | $31,709 |
| Hourly rate | $17.14 | $15.24 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 187,813 | 380,943 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Customer Relations Associate is primarily in charge of assisting clients by answering inquiries, troubleshooting problems, and promptly and efficiently resolving issues to ensure client satisfaction. They typically communicate with clients through calls, correspondence, or even through appointments. There are also instances where they may refer them to other specialists, offer products and services, discuss product specifications, arrange payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive relationships along the way. Moreover, a customer relations associate maintains records of all transactions, reporting to managers regularly.
Customer service associates are representatives of the company who are responsible for solving customer concerns. They provide exceptional service to clients to ensure that their problems are solved and that the relationship between the client and the company remains strong. Customer service associates are in-charge of processing transactions, maintaining a good working relationship between the client and the company, ensuring that the client remains loyal to the company, and working on the requests of the client. Through all of this, customer service associates must keep any information they may encounter confidential. They should also have time management skills, problem-solving skills, and customer service skills.
Customer relations associates and customer service associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Service Associate | |
| Average salary | $35,656 | $31,709 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $24,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Fidelity Investments |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer relations associate and a customer service associate in terms of educational background:
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Service Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer relations associates' and customer service associates' demographics:
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Service Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |